Cans of beer are filled at the new Karbach Brewing Co. on Tuesday, February 14, 2012 in Houston, TX. The brewing company is capable of filling 360-400 cases of beer a day. ( J. Patric Schneider / For the Chronicle )

Photo By Ronnie Crocker

Investors and other invited guests get an early taste of the new lunch service at Saint Arnold Brewing Co. A new kitchen allows the brewery to begin lunch service on March 20, 2013.

A brewery boom is making it easier than ever to toast Houston with a locally brewed beer.

A little more than five years ago, Houston beer came from either the mammoth Anheuser-Busch plant on the east side or the Saint Arnold microbrewery in a light-industrial park northwest of downtown. But amid a Texas-size beer gusher - the state recently was cited by an industry group as the nation's third-fastest growing in the number of smaller, independently owned craft breweries - Houston and its suburbs suddenly are served by nearly a dozen breweries with at least two more in the planning stages.

Concurrently, numerous bars featuring extensive selections of craft beer, both local and from around the nation, have opened as well. Store shelves once dominated by large mainstream brands from Anheuser-Busch or MillerCoors now boast unprecedented diversity of brands. At least one grocery chain even sells beer on draft at an in-store pub.

Anheuser-Busch still pumps out upward of 12 million barrels of Bud Light and related brands annually and Saint Arnold, the city's original craft brewery, remains the dominant player among the smaller craft brands, producing nearly 50,000 barrels worth of beer last year.

But that is seven times what Saint Arnold was making a decade ago. And the brewery continues to grow at rates in excess of 20 percent annually, despite the influx of competitors, from the 5-year-old Southern Star in Conroe to the just-opened 8th Wonder near downtown Houston.

Or perhaps, as the local brewers like to say, it is growing because of the newcomers and the increased excitement they are generating among consumers.

For devoted fans of these brands, and others curious about the burgeoning industry, the local companies offer a variety of opportunities for interaction, from tasting new brews to applying for one of the jobs being created to visiting the breweries during regular tours.

After moving into a much larger facility three years ago, Saint Arnold now attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually for its Monday-Saturday tours.

Tours also have become popular elsewhere, from inside-the-Loop breweries Karbach and Buffalo Bayou Brewing to suburban locations in Conroe (Southern Star), Katy (No Label Brewing) and Missouri City (Fort Bend Brewing). In Magnolia, Lone Pint Brewing recently started once-a-month tours.

Potential changes in Texas law that would allow these breweries to sell beer on site could lead to increased hours for the public to come in and see what all the fuss is about.

Information about specific tour times and admission prices is available on each brewery's website.

Chronicle readers also can keep up with what's on tap at the newspaper's Beer, TX blog at blog.chron.com/beertx.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has issued 13 brewer's licenses in the Houston area. Some names are familiar, and others are becoming so. A couple are still in the planning stages.

Established breweries:

Anheuser-Busch: The parent company is now part of Belgium-based conglomerate InBev, but the Houston brewery has been making beer locally for nearly 50 years.

Saint Arnold Brewing: Houston's first craft brewery when it opened in 1994, it's also the largest. Last year, more than 100,000 people toured the brewery overlooking downtown.

Southern Star Brewing: The Conroe brewery just passed the five-year mark in business.

No Label Brewing: This family-run operation converted an old rice dryer into a brewery and Katy tourist attraction.

Karbach Brewing: The Houston brewery got off to a fast start two years ago with nationally recognized brewmaster Eric Warner in the brewhouse.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing: This Houston brewery was founded by a Rice grad with a Harvard MBA.